Promise
by hbee5
Summary: Sawyer sees a familiar face when time changes on the island.


Promise

The thick brush parts way for him to get through. His big feet crush tangles of leaves and sticks, anything that got in his way for that matter. Jaws clenched, brow wrinkled and dripping with sweat, Sawyer treads through the jungle. Where he's going; he has not an idea. Why; because she left . Left him here with a nerd, some British chick, a Chinese who sees dead people, and an ex-other. He can't take it. Kate was the only one who really knew him. Knew what made him smile, made him laugh; she was the only one who kept him sane. And now…_Gone?_ _Was it that easy for her to get on the Chopper? To watch me jump out of it? Is she in as much pain as I am, is she thinking of me as often as I think of her?_

He roughly shakes his head, as if shaking those thoughts that bring him down, deeper and deeper, into insanity, out. The sun has recently set, and darkness sweeps across this snow globe-like island. The only sounds intelligible are the crunching of debris under his feet, and his rifle, hitting against his back with every step he takes.

Disturbing the tranquility, a harsh, high pitched ringing sound, one he knew very well. And following it, the dark sky lighting up, shades of white turn brighter and brighter till it is impossible for Sawyer's eyes to adjust or to even stay open for that matter. The bizarre happenings were so familiar to him, it became nothing but an annoyance. Just another shift in time. _What year will we be in this time?_ He thinks to himself. Sick of this daily chore and all of the changes. He's had enough changes, why can't things just stay the same? He shields his green eyes using his forearm. Readying himself to leave 1954. "Son of a…."

The flash is over, and unable to finish his sentence, Sawyer uncovers his eyes and scans them across his surroundings, hoping to get a glimpse of something that can tell him when he is. He sees the exact thing he saw before. The sky is dark and the jungle is thick, just as it was before. The only is change is behind him, before, he had left a trail of fallen briars and grass. Whereas now, there is no trace found he had walked through the jungle at all. Its as if someone had picked him up and dropped him right here. Too far away from the beach, he's unable to see if the camp is there or not, usually the indicator of where they were at in time. He wipes the blood from his nose, and standing on the tips of his toes, he looks to the beach.

All thoughts were interrupted when he hears footsteps, tramping across the ground. Not far away either, most likely in the clearing which was but a few yards away. He pulls the rifle off of his shoulder and cocks the loaded gun, ready to fire if need be. Just a few steps now from the clearing, the stranger's footsteps grow louder. Sawyer quickly steps in the open grassy area. His breath disappears at the sight of who he is pointing his weapon at.

Looking out for a dangerous stranger as well, Kate jumps when she catches sight of Sawyer, then giggles to herself for getting so worked up when it was just him. "I wasn't expecting to see you." She said when she caught her breath.

Sawyer is unable to speak. _How can this be real? She left, didn't she? Why is she so casual about this all when its all I can do to keep my knees from giving out?_ He takes a deep breath of the crisp air, pushing away the hot tears he can feel coming to the corners of his eyes.

"Um, Sawyer? Are you okay?" She asks. Her eyebrows knit together and her smiling face is replaced with a concerned look.

Sawyer clears his throat and closes his eyes. "What are you doing here Kate?" he asks. His voice very weak, cracks as he tries to keep his composure.

"What do you mean?" Kate replies "You just sent me out here for firewood."

He catches his breath and slowly sighs. "How long have we been here?" he asks her.

"Sawyer why are you asking me this?" she asks suspicious and almost scared at his confusion.

"Freckles, just tell me how long its been since the crash." he says. Impatient now, because he expects an answer he really doesn't want to hear.

"I'd say about three weeks." she replies, caught onto his lack of patience.

Sawyer lets out a huge sigh and doubles over at the waist. He rubs his wet eyes with his rough hands and lets just one tear fall. Kate is by his side in an instant, her cool hands cup the side of his rough, unshaven face, and she looks into his eyes. She says nothing, she just looks at him. He takes a deep breath and conjures up all the composure he has left and looks into her blue eyes. This may be the last time he sees them, _make it last._

Kate breaks the silence after about a minute. "You want to tell me what the problem is now?" she questions coolly.

Sawyer breaks contact with her and looks at the ground. His heart is beating uncontrollably fast. He looks back into her eyes. "Your not supposed to be here." he answers in a rough voice. "Your supposed to be home, in California or wherever it is you went."

Kate's eyes look panicked as she tries to sort out in her mind the information she was just given. "What are you talking about?" was the only question she could come up with at the time, yet she had so many.

"You left. There was a freighter, a couple miles off the beach. There was a helicopter on it. The chopper came and you were on it you were saved. We had been here four months." he explains to her.

She looks down now, trying to make ends meet. "Then why are you here then?" she asks in a breath.

Sawyer answers, "I stayed behind it was the only way to get you home." he looks back down. This is all he has been thinking about for the last week but to actually say it, that hurt.

Tears now form in Kate's eyes. "I wouldn't leave you."

The words hit Sawyer hard, like he'd just been slapped in the face. She _did _leave him. And its driven him crazy ever since.

"I'm still trying to understand everything your telling me. But I can tell you this, I will never leave you." Kate tells him.

"Don't say that." Sawyer replies. Harsher now than he'd spoken before. "You do leave and you can't change it." The reality of the words are so painful. You might as well have been punching him in the stomach.

Now feeling guilty for speaking that way in the little time they have together, Sawyer gently holds her chin in his hand. He pulls his head closer and closer to hers and gradually kiss. Kate's hands run through Sawyers soft, golden hair. For this moment they are together like they were always supposed to be. And for now Sawyer is okay with that. He hates himself for it too. Because eventually, the sky will turn and so will time. They will be torn apart just like that, and that will pull Sawyer even closer to insanity. So for now, he pulls her closer to him.

Then, the thing he had dreaded most began to take place. The sky became white and the piercing ring filled the air. Sawyer pushes away the wave of nausea that had overcome his body due to the reality of the moment taking place, and looked at Kate for the last time with a grimace on his face.

"What's the matter?" she asked due to the strained look on his face.

"It's time for me to go." He answered. No longer concerned over keeping his cool. The tears flowed down his usually calm, tanned face. "Bye Kate." He told her the for the second time in the last week, but this one hurt so much worse.

"I won't leave you Sawyer. I _promise._" She said to him, rather than a painful farewell expected from the man she just received one from.

"Don't promise." Sawyer replied. And with the last word the sky reached as bright as it possibly could and then…nothing. The darkness returned and the broken Sawyer sat in the same position as he had once before, _alone. _


End file.
